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Comparing Spring Offensive and Into Battle Essay

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Comparing Spring Offensive and Into Battle

These are two poems written during the First World War by two serving soldiers. They use their own experience of war, their personal and family backgrounds and their previously held beliefs in writing these powerful poems, both of which were published during the conflict.

The first poem 'Spring Offensive' was written in 1917 by Wilfred Owen and the second 'Into Battle' by Julian Grenfell was completed in 1915.
These poems used the contrast between the new life of spring, with the promise of warmer days to follow and the destruction and brutality of death on the battlefield.

In Owens' poem he uses spring as a short introduction to the scene and leads quite suddenly into the horror …show more content…

In the poem I think that it comes across that he did not like fighting. He thought that it was unnecessary and he did not want to be there. In the first few verses they are waiting for a long time and the soldiers become very agitated. It makes me feel like they almost want the battle to start now and get it over and done with.
When the battle starts they know that they might die and this frightens them and they become angry. They think about the people that are going to go to die and they imagine what hell is going to be like.
' Breasted the surf of bullets, or went up on the hot blast and fury of hell's upsurge.' The soldiers who survived felt guilty and ashamed even though they were relieved to be alive. 'Long famous glories, immemorial shames - Why speak not they of comrades that went under?'
To me these quotes all suggest a feeling of guilt that the soldiers shared. 'Into Battle' suggests that it is wonderful to fight in the war and if you do not fight then you might as well be dead 'and he is dead who will not fight.' He glosses over all the bad and negative things of war and concentrates on the good and

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